Unspoken
by Explosive
Summary: What if a love lost came back into your life? What if someone you loved was violated by someone you always trusted? What if the only place to turn, was to your friends? Formerly titled 'Killing Iori', contains some Yaoi and is rated R for violence, sli
1. author notes

Author notes Author's notes & disclaimer(s)   
  
This story is a combination of at least 3 or 4 different ideas I'd been kicking around in my head for a while, and I've put a lot more time and thought into it than anything else I've written. That alone doesn't guarantee that it's going to be great, but I still think that anyone who enjoys a grammatically correct fic with lots of twists will enjoy it. I've never been good at selling myself, so I'll just let the story speak for itself. Before getting to the fic though, I suggest you read the following list of disclaimers/notes:   
  
  
1. This fic was originally titled **Killing Iori**, but as of today I've decided to scrap that title and rename it **Unspoken**. Yeah, there are two other fics out there with the same name, but only one of them (a poem by Ezika) is worth reading. I posted the first chapter of this fic on **March 31, 2001**. I reformatted chapters 1-7, posted chapter 8 and added this author notes page on **May 22, 2001**. Occasionally I may post more author notes in further chapters. 

2. Be prepared for at least one same-sex coupling in this story. However, there will not be any explicit scenes of lovemaking between them or any of the heterosexual couples in the story, although much of it will be implied. Yaoi-haters take cover. 

3. Each individual chapter will focus on a different character. That character's thoughts will be in_ italics_, and only that character's thoughts will be in that particular chapter. Get it? 

4. I will be using the Japanese character names in this fic, for no other reason that that it has become a habit on my part. Should I have to use their full names in this fic, their surname will follow their first name (for example, Yamato Ishida instead of Ishida Yamato). I will Occasional Japanese terms may be employed as the story progresses, and I apologize in advance if I simply butcher their usage. I also apologize if this fic contains and gross inaccuracies pertaining to the geography of Japan, Tokyo, and Odabia. I also know nothing about kendo and flower arranging. I quickly researched these topics over the Internet and stole my information from there. 

5. I have asked many people about Wallace and searched the Internet for more information on him, but no one seems to know much about him. In the Digimon movie it was never exactly stated where in America he lives; some people say Colorado, others say New York. I agree with the first camp, so that's where he will be from in this story. I made up everything about his parents, for no information exists about them either. You are free to disagree with how I've written him, but don't tell me that it's inaccurate, since these minor details are open to interpretation. 

6. This is not what has been come to be known as a "bashing fic", but one character in this story will be painted in a less than favorable light. When I first started writing this I felt a deep contempt for h(er)im, but I've come around lately and really don't think that s/he is really all that bad. Still, I've decided to press on according to plan, and hope that more open minded readers will see past the qualities I've instilled in one of the characters and look at the story as a whole. 

7. This takes place a few months after the conclusion of 02. Either consider it an AU fic or pretend that 02 ended slightly differently. The Digidestined are still the only kids in the world with Digimon, and the only people with access to the Digital World. Everyone is a year or so older than they were at the start of the season, and characters from both seasons will be making appearances. 

I hate giving too much away in advance, so that's all I am going to say. I appreciate reviews, and if you give me a thoughtful one (even a very critical one) I might even reply to it by e-mail. That's how much I love getting reviews. Thank you for reading, and I hope that you enjoy Unspoken.   
  
  



	2. Juice

chapter 1 revision

chapter 1

Juice

Takeru's turn... 

  
  


One of the only things Takeru preferred about living alone with his mother, his father and his brother Yamato now gone and living on the other side of Odabia, was having his own room. It was not that he didn't like sharing one with his brother though - he actually missed it a lot, and although he wasn't a little kid anymore, he missed that secure feeling of having him in the same room at night. That space was their refuge from the realities of the world, the dissonance that should have respected the boundaries of their home but marched in and laid siege at their bedroom door. Despite that his memories of their old room somehow maintained their innocence, unscarred by events that played out throughout the rest of the apartment. They had since moved, but every detail of it was cemented in his mind. 

Those days always ended with his brother boosting him up onto his bed. Yamato let Takeru have that coveted spot, one that most brothers fight for. However, sleeping on the top bunk was never something that he enjoyed. He knew that Yamato would have gladly traded places had he known about Takeru's fear of heights, but Takeru had never confided that in him. He always wanted to be a big boy, and so he kept it to himself. He knew Yamato wouldn't think any less of him if he decided to tell him about it now, but there was no real point in confessing a fear that he had gotten over. 

The bunk beds were now gone though, replaced by a single full-sized mattress that Takeru was now laying on. Although it was a larger bed, it didn't seem to take up much more space than his older one. Perhaps that was simply because there was not another above it, not to mention that Yamato's stuff was no longer strewn about the room. Their room had always been a mess, one that occasionally became difficult to walk through. His brother had a habit of tossing his stuff everywhere, a habit that Takeru never picked up on, evidenced by his meticulously organized and spotless desk. Gone were Yamato's books, Yamato's guitar, Yamato's dirty clothes… _Maybe I don't miss all of it_, Takeru thought. Having a room of his own and a bed no more than a foot and half off the floor was much better than the cluttered and disorganized space where he fought his acrophobia on a daily basis as a young boy. 

He found mornings to be much easier when he could simply put his feet on the floor and not have to descend on a ladder or jump down to the floor with stiff joints and semi-atrophied leg muscles to cushion his descent. He sat up slowly and hung his feet off the bed, careful not to touch the ice-cold wooden floor, put his slippers on and finally managed to get himself up. Saturday mornings were usually quiet in Takeru's apartment, for his mother was at work, helping piece together another giant Sunday edition of Tokyo's biggest newspaper. She would return in a few hours before scrambling back to help finish the job later that night. He walked to the bathroom, switched the light on, and shut the door, careful not to make too much noise. He relieved himself, as he found that he always desperately needed to do every morning, washed his hands and splashed some cold water in his face. His hair looked like his brother's did when he was younger, but bedhead was permissible on a Saturday morning. _At least I'm not as skinny as him_, he thought, posing for the mirror in his boxers. 

The refrigerator was mostly empty, but there was butter, some eggs and some orange juice, all that he really needed to make some breakfast. He grabbed the butter and the two cartons and shut the door. The clock read 8:32. _Darn_, Takeru thought. _I missed my favorite show!_ It would be on again at 9:30 though, and as long as he didn't go back to bed he'd be sure to catch the second episode. He started to pour the orange juice, one glass for him and another for… 

There were three loud knocks on the door, almost like someone was trying to knock it down. Takeru first thought about the string of burglaries that had hit apartment complexes much like his lately. In fact, his mother had warned him about it just days before. She told him not to open the door for anyone he didn't know, advice that he shrugged off as matriarchal paranoia. _Maybe they'll just let themselves in this time, _Takeru thought, before he reeled in his imagination. _No, that's not it. What if it was the police? No, how could they know?_ Takeru's mind raced, running through the events of last evening, quite sure that nothing he did was against the law. He stood frozen until he realized that his glass was overflowing and another loud knock at the door shook him to his senses. He set the glass down, quickly toweled up his mess and proceeded to the door, trying not to step on any noisy floorboards. He squinted through the peephole and was relieved not to find a swat team or a group of kidnappers outside. In fact, he didn't see anyone. All he saw was a big stick, which smacked right into his field of vision and startled him so much that he stumbled back, making enough of a ruckus that whoever was out there would know that someone was home. 

"Hello?" It sounded like an old woman with emphysema, or Iori. "Are you here Takeru?" 

Takeru was in no mood to talk to him now, but being that he was a fellow Digidestined and that it could possibly be an emergency, he opened the door for him. He made sure to open it only 45 degrees or so, enough to see what the boy wanted but not enough to constitute an invitation to come in. 

"Oh, hi Iori." _What the heck is he doing here now?_

"Hi Takeru. My grandpa and I are going to practice Tai Chi this morning. He says it will help my balance when I'm doing Kendo and that it will help me find inner peace and enlightenment, do you want to come along? It's a rewarding physical exercise and grandpa says it brings him into harmony with the universe. Hey, can I have some orange juice?" 

_Only if you'll get out of here now_, Takeru thought. Somehow he got his foot in the door and walked right under Takeru's outstretched arm, his shinai smacking Takeru in the knee. As he clutched his leg, smarting from the pain, Iori stole his juice and began making himself at home. He felt slightly uncomfortable having the strange boy in his apartment in the first place, partly because he was just spooked by him, partly because he hadn't had time to put on any pants. 

"Thanks Takeru. So do you want to come with us? My grandpa does Tai Chi all the time. Did I mention that my grandpa likes liquid yogurt? We drink it all the time, do you have any?" Iori now proceeded to rummage through Takeru's refrigerator. 

He continued to ramble on about his grandpa and all the wonderful things they did together. These stories were not new, and even when they were they were not very interesting. Takeru tried to look interested, but it was hard. If Iori wasn't a Digidestined, there was no way that he would ever spend time with him. He tried to look back at when he was younger and the older Digidestined had accepted him as one of their own. _I know I should be nicer to him. After all, we are a team, right?_ The question remained unanswered in his mind, replaced by hunger pains that he could not satisfy until Iori left him alone. 

_What's wrong with me? Why does he get to me so easily?_ It wasn't just his personality though. His immaturity and childish behavior had become a burden in the digital world. There he wasn't just annoying, he was actually dangerous. Takeru hadn't taken much of a liking to Iori's Digimon either. Whereas he enjoyed the company of Patamon, Veemon, Gatomon and Hawkmon very much, Armadillomon was just as annoying to be around as the child he was chosen to protect. He hadn't done much to assist them in battles either, for his attacks were dangerous to everyone. When they first faced the Digimon Kaizer, Daisuke and Miyako had nearly fallen to their death when Digmon smashed the ground beneath their feet. _Why does he have the crest of knowledge?_ Takeru wondered. _If he was half as perceptive as Taichi he would know that he been a liability to us the whole time. I hope the Digital World remains in harmony, I don't want to have to go into battle with him again._ For that thought, Takeru mentally slapped himself. _Why do I feel like this? He's like my partner._ How he was paired with Iori he would never know. _It should have been me and Daisuke._

He knew he wasn't alone in his feelings though. He could tell that Iori seriously annoyed Hikari. How long had it been since he last searched her eyes? It hadn't been more than six months since he decided that pursuing her was a futile act, that they had no future as a couple. He still loved her, but just as a good friend, almost like a sister, but not in the way he once thought he did. He was learning through experience that people change, and luckily Hikari could accept that. _Why am I thinking about her now?_ He remembered as he looked up and saw that Iori was now practicing his Kendo patterns in the middle of his mom's kitchen, swinging his stick dangerously close to some very fragile and irreplaceable plates and pots on the shelves. Once, he had brought out a look in her eyes that he had never seen before. 

It was a day just like any other, one where the five of them congregated in the computer lab after school. He could not be sure, but Takeru figured it had been three, maybe four months ago. As they discussed how to confront the Digimon Kaizer, Iori began begging to go home. It didn't take much to send him off on a guilt trip, and he was currently torn between going with them and staying behind, as he felt he was lying to his grandfather about the true nature of his after school activities. Morally, it was a real dilemma, but not one that anyone wanted to be forced onto them, especially at such a critical point in their mission. At one point Hikari put her hands on her head and heaved a heavy sigh. She emitted a pure state of impatience and frustration, one that at the time made him want to just put his arm around her and whisper soothing words of encouragement ("It's okay", "relax", etc…) accompanied by a massage or some kind of comforting physical affection. Since then he had seen her like that more and more often, usually in the reluctant presence of Iori. 

To make matters worse, Takeru felt stuck with him, as Angemon needed Ankylomon to digivolve to Shakkouamon. It wasn't as important as it had been when they were fighting Arachnamon and Mummymon, and of course, Malomyotismon, but the six of them still had to be on their guard for new disturbances in the Digital World. Experience had taught them to never take its peace for granted. Their Digimon could not spend much time in the real world, at least not outside of their apartments. None of them wanted to face the possible trouble that would come if scientists knew that Digimon were still in their world. Besides, they were needed back in the Digital World, as it was still in the process of rebuilding itself. Despite the troubles that they faced, they visited each other every chance they had. _It sucks_, Takeru thought. _But at least we don't have to spend our time destroying dark towers when we're there. Speaking of wasting time..._

"Well, uh…look Iori. I was just getting up to get something to drink when you got here, so I think I'm going to get going back to bed now…" _He might be young, but some hints are obvious to anyone_, Takeru thought. "Stay as long as you want, but I'm going back to sleep." It didn't seem like a bad idea, but he didn't want to miss his favorite show. _He should go now, he assured himself._

Iori continued to proceed through his pattern, but naively responded to him. "Ok, but my grandfather will be disappointed. He always wanted you to try kendo. He said that because you have long arms…no, wait…it's because you're tall. You see, that gives you a better reach than your opponent…Actually my grandfather says that kendo is more suited for shorter people since they have a lower center of gravity. Plus you have blonde hair, which some people think means that you're less resistant to pain…" His speech was cut off by a loud crack. It wasn't ceramic or glass as Takeru first feared, but something much heavier that quickly tumbled to the floor with a loud thud. 

…end of chapter 1   
  
  



	3. Peanuts

chapter 2 revision

chapter 2 

Peanuts

Wallace's turn... 

  
  
  


_Thanks a lot congress_, Wallace thought. _Give everyone with a plane the right to start an airline and this is what you get_. It had been four hours since his flight had been scheduled to leave, but there he was, stranded at the gate with a hundred other very edgy passengers. Since his mom rushed him out of bed at 4:00 am and out the door not more than 15 minutes later, he hadn't had time to grab any breakfast. There would be food on the plane, but he wasn't sure if it was ever going to come at this point. It was hard to remember, but it had been a long time since he had eaten anything at all. _How long has it been? 18...no wait, 20 hours now?_ Anything, even airline food, would have satisfied him. _What I wouldn't give for a pack of peanuts right now._

Stretched across three seats and using his backpack as a pillow, Wallace figured out that there was just no way to get comfortable in an airport terminal. He sat up, stretched, and changed position on the seats, a routine he had repeated every twenty minutes or so for the past two hours. He scoped out his fellow passengers, passing the time categorizing them and guessing why they were going to Japan. After a while he realized that there weren't any wearing suits, which meant two things. One: all of the first-class passengers were gone, which was why he had enough room to lay down in the first place. Two: they (mostly businessmen) had either been transferred to other flights or had been given some VIP treatment, courtesy of United Airlines. Either way, it wasn't good news for him or anyone else waiting. 

He had hoped that his dad would let him fly first class this time. It was not as if his family could not afford it, but once they actually booked the flight, coach was all that was left. He had flown alone before, but never overseas. His dad had been in Japan for more than a week now, immersing himself in his new job and preparing their new residence. An apartment in the middle of Odabia would be quite a change from their roomy house and the vastness that was Colorado, but Wallace was used to change; it wasn't the first time he had moved. He felt like a nomad sometimes, but it was his life. Still, the prospect that this might be his home for good, that he could settle down and find himself was always at the back of his mind. 

His mom had dropped him off with two heavy suitcases at the gate, kissed him on the cheek and sped off in their Lexus. They had found a buyer for their car, but there was still a lot to do over the next week. Moving was always a hassle, but it was ten times more complicated if you have to leave the country. The flight from Denver to L.A. went smoothly, but the 30-minute layover had now stretched itself to almost four and a half hours. Wallace studied the passengers around him again. Two Japanese women were sitting behind him, speaking very fast and sounding quite irate. _No matter what culture you're from, there's nothing as stressful as airline travel_, he noted to himself. This humorous observation soon gave way to a more realistic concern. To him, the words he was hearing were gibberish. They weren't just meaningless and indecipherable to him, the basic phonics of the language were completely indistinguishable to his ears, and he was sure they were quite unpronounceable to his Anglo-conditioned tongue as well. _There's no way I'll ever be able to learn this language_, he thought. 

It wouldn't be a problem at home, although he would probably be alone most of the time. His father would be working and traveling back and forth from Japan to America constantly, and his mother would be working at one of the biggest clinics in Tokyo. Their jobs had no set schedules, which is to say that they were on call 168 hours per week. _They're professionals_, he thought. _They'll get through this easy_. What Wallace was worrying about was school, and although he had attended many in his life, he knew that nothing could prepare him for this. The curriculum and the workload was going to be exponentially harder and he would have to wear a uniform for the first time, not to mention that he would probably be the only American in the whole school. There was an entirely new set of cultural practices to learn and master too. _If I can get through the first week without accidentally offending everyone, I'll be lucky_. 

He sat up and pulled his wallet out of his backpack. He didn't have enough money for any outrageously priced airport food, but he wasn't looking for cash. He flipped through some of the plastic cardholders and pulled out the contents of one. In between a library card and an his school ID (_these are both useless now_) were two small photos. One was a picture of him next to a pretty short haired girl. The picture was smudged and bent from him taking it out and putting it back in his wallet dozens of times over the past week. It seemed like it had been taken a lifetime ago, although Wallace knew that it had scarcely been over a year. To one minute think that he would never see her again, and to find out the next that he was not only moving to her country (_practically on the other side of the world_) but to the very city she lived in was almost too much to take in, even though he had been preparing for it for over a month now. 

She would be there to greet him when he finally touched down. S_hould I hug her? Shake her hand?_ _She has no idea how I really feel about her._ They had only been together a few days, and although they had shared few precious "moments" together, Wallace felt drawn to Hikari Yagami. Sometimes he wondered if this good fortune was some kind of sign, like it really meant something. _Japanese people bow to each other, right?_

He unfolded the other picture. There were more faces on this one, more that he hoped to see over the next few days and hopefully see more of in the coming months, years, or however long he was going to live in Japan. If he could spend his life with friends like them, with Hikari, Daisuke, Miyako, Takeru, and…Wallace rubbed his eyes, attributing his inability to recognize the short kid in the photograph to a lack of sleep and food. _Who the…what the heck is his name?_ He racked his brain, trying to remember what his name was or anything about him at all for that matter. _For crying out loud, he's a Digidestined! You have to know him!_ He did remember a strange looking Digimon with a drill on its face, but he could not remember its name, nor the child it was sworn to protect. His thoughts drifted back to Hikari and the look on her face when he stole a quick kiss to spite Daisuke. It was a great feeling though, and her expression indicated that she felt the same. 

_Daisuke…I never could have guessed it man_. He smiled, wondering why he ever worried that Hikari would succumb to the boy's constant flirting. She had made it quite clear in her letter that he had given up chasing her, and had moved on to other pursuits. At first that news had shocked him, but over time he had come to accept the idea. Besides, it would be the least of what he would have to get accustomed to. _But Takeru too?_ He sighed and laid back down across the seats, his thoughts roaming back to Hikari. He remembered vividly every detail about her, and although she had mailed him many pictures since, he always imagined her as she was when they had met. She was wearing those tight shorts, that cute pink top and those Lycra gloves…_or are they sleeves?_ He remembered how they felt when he took her hand, when she hugged him goodbye...smooth, soft. _What if she wears them today?_ He imagined her greeting him at the gate, smiling, embracing him in a hug before he would lift her chin for a kiss, their tongues dancing as she pushed him away, shouting, "Wake up…hey!" 

"What are you talking about?" Wallace stared into her deep brown eyes, puzzled. 

"You know what I mean. Now wake up! It's time to go." 

"Are you serious?" _This is too weird. What the heck is going on?_

She rolled her eyes as if she was thinking, 'Seriously, how dense are you?' "Alright, I'll explain it slowly. Right now you're at LAX and your flight is boarding. If you wake up right now and get on that plane I'll be waiting here for you tonight. If you don't, you won't get here for another week, that is, if your parents don't kill you first." 

She was just like he remembered her. It wasn't just her face, or her body or anything evident to others. It was the way she spoke to him, like they had known each other their whole lives and she already knew everything about him. She certainly knew how to persuade him. He had to ask one more question though. 

"So this isn't real?" 

"If it was, would I have wanted you to stop?" She replied, smiling. 

Wallace released her hand and grabbed a fold of skin on his arm. "See ya later," he said, pinching himself. 

...end of chapter 2 


	4. Eggs

chapter 3 revision

chapter 3

Eggs

Daisuke's turn...   
  
  


Ever since he was old enough to run and kick a soccer ball, Daisuke Motomiya had dreamed of moments like this. After a scoreless overtime both the score was still 1-1, and the game would be decided with penalty kicks. Specifically, it would be decided on this one, should it find the back of the net. As luck would have it, it was Daisuke's shot. 

As he calmly walked onto the field he sized up the goalie. He'd blocked every shot in the game with the exception of a header Daisuke had poked past him in the first half. He wasn't about to let Daisuke beat him twice in one game . Daisuke knew that he was trying to read him now, and he put on his best poker face. He always believed that if he could win the psychological battle before the shot that the rest would take care of itself. 

The ball exploded off his foot and sailed toward the right side of the goal. The goalie lunged for it and stretched his body to its breaking point. He might have blocked it easily, if he had not jumped right over it. It was, as Daisuke liked to say, nothing but nylon. In a flash cheers erupted from the crowd and his teammates rushed the field, crowding around him, slapping him on the back and giving him high fives. That was it, they had won the championship. In the chaos Daisuke saw his friend standing alone at midfield. He pushed his way out of the mob and ran to him. "Hey, you made it!" When he finally reached him, he was pulled into an unexpected embrace. 

"You don't care that I'm all dirty and sweaty right now?" asked Daisuke. 

"Does this answer your question?" Takeru replied as he pulled Daisuke into a passionate kiss. Suddenly, the soccer team lifted both of them up onto their shoulders, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Fireworks exploded as Takeru motioned to him, pointing at something in the stands. 

"What?" Daisuke screamed. 

"Look at the screen!" Takeru shouted back. Daisuke looked up at the Jumbotron, which showed them being carried off the field-and two simple words: MARRY ME?. 

In a heartbeat he nodded 'yes' to Takeru, a gesture that everyone in the stadium clearly understood as the cheers got louder and louder. They kissed again in a shower of confetti and balloons, so thick that they could barely see each other even through they were barely a foot apart. People showered them with shredded paper, glitter, pillows and blankets… 

_Pillows and blankets? What the…_ Daisuke reached out to Takeru, but it was like the bedding had swallowed him up. He felt himself being lowered to the ground and covered by a soft quilt. 

"No! Not again!" Once again his fantasy turned out to be nothing more than a dream. Daisuke moaned as he found himself in bed again, sunlight pouring through the shades on the other side of the room, the clock reading 8:43. _Hey, my clock doesn't have green numbers_, Daisuke observed. It took him a moment to piece it all together before he realized that this was Takeru's room. He remembered spending the night, watching TV, kissing…_was there more? No, we didn't go any farther than that_, Daisuke thought, quite relieved. He rolled over, but to his surprise the bed was empty. _Where is he?_

He heard some sounds in the kitchen, so he got up, feeling more groggy than usual for a Saturday morning. His muscles were sore and useless from last night's game, not the personal moment of glory that he had dreamed about but an embarrassing 5-0 spanking, definitely not his best game. However, Takeru was there to console him, not with a kiss but with an arm around his shoulder and a smile of approval, which was enough for him. As he walked to the kitchen he heard Takeru talking to someone. _Who could be here now? Is his mom back? Is it Yamato?_ Wearing nothing but his boxer shorts, he didn't want to suprise their guest, so he quietly snuck down the short hall and poked his head around the corner and into the kitchen. _Hey, its…_

Technically, Daisuke never actually lost consciousness, but for the next hour or so, everything was a blur. When he finally came to his senses he was laying on the couch in the Takaishi's living room. He was aware of a cold sensation on his forehead, the sound of Takeru's favorite show coming from the television on the other side of the room, and Takeru's hand gently stroking his. 

"Takeru?" It was all he could think of to say. 

"Daisuke, are you awake?" his friend asked. 

"Well…yeah…why wouldn't I be?" Daisuke asked. 

"No reason," Takeru said, letting go of Daisuke's hand and removing the washcloth from his forehead. "Except that you took quite a shot there. I was trying to get him to leave but then you walked in and…." 

"Wha…what happened?" _I missed something here_, Daisuke thought. "Who?" 

"Iori smacked you in the head while practicing his kendo routine." Takeru said bluntly. 

"What? Iori was here? Why…why was he…?" Daisuke closed his eyes as Takeru applied a new washcloth to his forehead. _Oh Iori!_ Daisuke loathed the day that he met the boy. Though they meant well, Iori and Digmon had come close to killing all of them in battle and had accidentally caused everyone some kind of injury. Digmon's rock cracking attack had a tendency to open up the ground in unpredictable ways. He remembered when he and Miyako fell into a crack in the ground, almost plunging to their death. Luckily Takeru grabbed him just in time, and somehow managed to pull him back onto solid ground in the middle of quite a Digimon battle. _Actually, maybe I should be thankful for that_, Daisuke thought as Takeru held his hand and dabbed his forehead. Since then they had been a lot closer. 

"I don't know, he just came over and let himself in. He wanted me to go meditate with him or something." 

"Oh…" Daisuke turned his attention to the TV, and for a while they didn't talk much. Soon his stomach began to rumble, and the nauseous feeling that accompanied his pounding head was replaced by hunger pains. "I'm going to get some breakfast," Daisuke said, sitting up. 

"No you're not, you need to stay on the couch." Takeru protested. 

"I'm just fine, don't worry about me." Daisuke replied. 

"Have you looked at your forehead? Just stay there and I'll make you some eggs, just the way you like them." 

"With Tabasco sauce please." Daisuke touched his forehead, feeling a slight lump just above his hairline. _At least it won't be too visible_. He heard Takeru digging through the cabinet for the frying pan. _I don't know if he takes after Yamato or his mother, but he's a great cook_. He could make pretty much anything that Daisuke asked for, although he usually kept his order simple. Eggs were his specialty though. He lit the stove and cracked an egg on the side of the pan. 

"You need to rest now, especially if you're coming with tonight," Takeru said, dropping a yoke into the now sizzling skillet. 

"What? Coming with where?" Daisuke asked. Where are we going? 

"Where do you think? To pick up Wallace at the airport!" 

"Oh, yeah, right…" Daisuke had completely forgotten. _Maybe I've got amnesia_. He had actually been looking forward to Wallace's arrival for weeks now and had been hoping to see him again since they first met in America more than a year before. Yamato was going to drive him and Taichi, Takeru, and Hikari to the airport later that day to pick him up. Yamato didn't have an exceptionally large car, but he insisted that there would be enough room for six passengers and Wallace's luggage. Yamato and Tai had never even met him before, and were very excited and intrigued that at the prospect of meeting yet another Digidestined. 

Daisuke wondered what Wallace would think of his relationship with Takeru. Obviously the topic of his sexuality never came up during their short stay in America. Even if it had, however, Daisuke didn't think that he would have told Wallace so. He had not felt any feelings towards Takeru until some weeks after they returned to Japan, that is to say, ones that he let himself feel. _Should we tell him right away and just get it over with, or should we wait a while?_ He had not discussed the issue with Takeru yet, but he didn't want to sound like he was worried about it. _If I tell him that I'm worried about what Wallace might think, he might think I'm ashamed of him...of us._

"Here you go, extra spicy!" Takeru helped Daisuke sit up and handed him a heaping plate of eggs. "I'll get you something to drink." 

"Thanks TK." It had been a while since he called him that. He remembered how he would purposely mess up his name when they first met. _TL. TC. TA. Heh._ The eggs were excellent. "These are egg-cellent!" 

"Huh?" Takeru asked, pouring some orange juice for Daisuke. 

"Never mind." Takeru walked back to the couch and set the glass down on the table. He picked the fork up off the plate and began feeding Daisuke, something that he was completely capable of doing but did not protest to. Daisuke loved being pampered, and Takeru was eager to please him. After he was finished he washed it down with the rest of the orange juice. "Takeru?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Iori asked you to practice kendo with him today?" Daisuke asked. 

"Yeah. With him and his grandpa." Takeru replied. 

"Do you ever think that's weird?" 

"Not really. Kendo is a lot more than just swinging a sword Daisuke. It teaches concentration, discipline, coordination, endurance…" 

"No, no, no…that's not what I mean," Daisuke interrupted. "I mean do you ever think it's weird that he invites us every week even though we've always told him 'no'?" 

"I guess," Takeru replied. "He's just trying to get us to come though." 

"I know that," Daisuke said. "But why? It's bad enough that he starts talking about it very time I see him, but now his grandpa is bothering me about it." 

"What?" Takeru asked, looking very interested. 

"I saw him last week and he started asking me when I was going to come to kendo. I told him I wasn't interested but then he started pleading with me, like he was desperate or something." 

"Did he put his arm around you," Takeru asked. "Like this?" He slipped his arm around Daisuke's shoulder and pulled him close. 

"Mmmmmmm…yeah." Daisuke moaned, resting his head on Takeru's shoulder before he finally processed what he just heard. "Wait! How did you know?" 

"He's done the same thing to me! Remember when we attended Iori's promotion a few months ago? He stopped me before we left and pulled that same move on me." He shuddered. "It really creeped me out." They sat quietly for a moment, trying to make sense of the situation. 

"Well you have to promise me that you won't go within a hundred feet of him without me by your side," Daisuke declared. "I don't trust him." 

Takeru laughed. "I think you're the one who needs protecting right now." He bent over and kissed Daisuke just below the swollen bump on the forehead. "Do you feel like going today?" 

"Oh yeah, I can make it," Daisuke said, sitting up. "I…just…need a shower and I'll be fine." _Just take it one step at a time, Daisuke. Get over this headrush first, then worry about standing up._

Takeru got up and walked to the bathroom. "Alright, I'll be in there if you need me." 

Daisuke heard him close the door and start the water. He got up and walked to the bathroom, opening the door on a startled Takeru. 

"Room for two?" He asked. Takeru's smile was the only answer he needed.   
  
...end of chapter 3   



	5. Sushi

chapter 4 revision

chapter 4

Sushi

Miyako's turn...   
  
  


> > > > > > My flight comes in at 6:56 p.m. on Saturday. I haven't figured out what the time difference is or if I'm going to get jetlag, I sure hope not. Hikari and Takeru are going to pick me up at the airport. I don't know if you're going, but if you don't I hope to see you later this week. It's weird to think that we've known each other for a few years now, but that we still haven't had a face 2 face conversation. Anyway, it'll be great living in the same city. Hopefully we can hook up and work on some stuff together soon, once my computer is shipped out. See ya!

Wallace 

  
_Wow, I can't believe he's coming today. Another Digidestined, right here in Odabia. That's just…weird. It's like it was meant to be or something…like it was destiny…_

"Miyako, are you reading my e-mail?" Koushiro asked from across the room. 

"Oh…uh…of course not. Why would I be doing that?" Miyako replied, quickly closing the window and returning to her programming. _How did he know?_ "So, um…Wallace is coming today huh? I just can't wait for him to get here, it'll be so great having all the Digidestined together at last." She remembered that one of her best friends, Mimi Tachikawa, was now living in America with Michael, another Digidestined. However, Koushiro was too involved in his work to notice her obvious oversight. 

They had been redesigning their school's web page since 10:00 that morning. Despite their mutual love for computers, it was not exactly what either of them wanted to be doing that morning. Still, Miyako relished this chance to spend some time with him. He had remained closer to her, Daisuke and Iori than any of the older Digidestined did, but it was a rare occasion that she ever got to be alone with him. 

"It's getting close to noon," Koushiro said. "Do you want to go out and get something?" 

Koushiro could have said just about anything at that moment, but that suggestion was more than she ever could have asked for. 

"Oh…sure…I mean yes!" she enthusiastically replied. "Let's go, we can come back to this later! You know what they say, all work and no play makes…" _What am I saying? Just calm down Miya, you don't want to sound that desperate!_

"Prodigious. I just have to save this and then we can go. So what should we get? Ice cream? Coffee? There's a great new sushi bar by Palette Town but it might be a long walk." 

_Perfect_, she thought. _A nice, long walk with Koushiro. What could be better? Actually…_

"Actually Koushiro, I'm not that hungry. Would you want to go down to the boardwalk and have some tea?" She could picture the two of them walking along the sunny beach, the wind blowing her hair, his hand…_yeah, I wish…_

"That sounds great! Let's go." He finally pried himself from the computer (like a baby letting go of its bottle, something he rarely did voluntarily) and followed Miyako out the door. They walked down the hall, its walls lined with lockers that during passing periods made the school sound like a percussion ensemble, opening, closing, slamming shut. Neither of them were sure if they had ever heard their own footsteps in the building before. Now they clearly echoed down the deserted halls as they reached the front door and stepped out into the sun. 

It was considerably warmer than it had been earlier that morning when they arrived at school, so the two friends left their jackets behind. Koushiro was wearing a black T-shirt and some khaki shorts, a much more casual outfit than Miyako usually saw him in. _This isn't so bad_, she thought. _I wouldn't mind doing this every Saturday._

Odabia was a beautiful city. Even though it was part of Tokyo, Miyako had always felt like it was a different city altogether. Aside from their school, the many shops and restaurants that lined the streets and were inside the mall, the apartment complexes and the television station, Odabia was full of trees, flowers and lots of open space. She saw the rest of Tokyo as a crowded place full of sun-blocking skyscrapers and noisy trains, nothing at all like Odabia. 

"This job would be considerably easier if Wallace was with us," Koushiro sighed. "In fact I'm sure that he'll join the computer club once he settles in at school. He's a total wiz with HTML. Have I ever showed you his web page? It's prodigious!" 

_Twice in one day, wow!_ Koushiro hadn't said "prodigious" in months. "You two have known each other for a while, huh?" 

"Well, we met online a couple of years ago and we've been corresponding ever since," he admitted. "I never knew that he was a Digidestined until after you came back from America and told me." 

"Yeah, you should have seen the look on his face when we told him about the other Digidestined and mentioned your name. I've never seen anyone so shocked before-I wish you could have been there!" Miyako laughed. _It's funny how things work out_. They walked a bit more before Koushiro spoke up. 

"Do you ever think that it's more than a coincidence? Like we were all destined to eventually come together? I mean, I know that Mimi isn't around anymore, but aside from her we'll all be in one place. Think about it, the odds of us finding each other were a million-to-one to begin with, but the probability of his family moving here is simply astronomical!" 

It did seem odd to her. It had since she first met him, but without a logical explanation she simply left up it up to luck, up to fate. 

"Maybe he was meant to come here so he could join us. You know, be the seventh Digidestined!" She wasn't even sure if that was possible…_but it has to be! There's no other way to explain it._

"I don't know about that Miyako. He might be a Digidestined, but that doesn't mean that he's part of our group. Remember, we all lived at Heighten View Terrace, he didn't. At least, he never actually told me that he did…" Koushiro trailed off, pondering the possibility. 

_That's what I love about him. He's so deep. I wonder what he's thinking about now…_ To her, Koushiro was the smartest person she knew. She saw him a deep thinker. Even when he wasn't on his computer he was constantly trying to figure out problems and getting lost in his thoughts. 

Of course Koushiro made sure to take his laptop with him, strapped to his back as usual. That was just one of the many little things that Miyako liked about him. _He's got so many little quirks._ He wasn't her only crush, but he was her first. Since then, she'd become obsessed with Ken, obsessed to the point that she would sit in school and lay in bed unable to think of anyone else. He had almost erased any of her affection for the boy by her side now. She remembered how devastated she felt when she finally found out the truth about him. Almost a year later, she knew that she had never completely forgiven him for his actions, even if he had changed. Sometimes she had trouble looking him in the eyes, knowing what he did to those helpless Digimon. _I guess that's why I don't have the crest of forgiveness_, she thought. 

Not that they tried, but boys had a habit of betraying her. Not only did Ken shatter her perfect image of him when she found out that he was the Digimon Kaiser, but even boys on her side ended up disappointing her. When Mimi brought Michael to the digital world, she immediately developed a crush on him. It wasn't long after that when Mimi told her that they were more than "just friends", and that neither of them would be returning to Japan any time soon. 

About the only boy that ever showed her any affection was Iori, but he was out of the question. Besides the fact that he was just too young, she just couldn't picture herself getting serious with the same boy she used to play with as a young girl. He enjoyed playing computer games, a hobby that she immersed herself in constantly as a young girl, so they became fast friends. Over time though, he became more like a younger brother than a friend, and she became quite protective of him. 

Every day after school he would regularly drop by her family's store for some snacks and then go to her family's apartment. Both of her parents worked and her siblings had lessons after school, so most of the time he was her only company. She often walked with him to the kendo studio where his grandfather was the head instructor. The old man was very charming, always polite to her and always trying to get her to try kendo. Although she always wanted to, her parents had strictly forbidden it. However, she always watched the lessons, wishing that she could join. 

Finally, after many months of vicarious learning, Iori's grandfather approached her after class. "Ah, Miss Inoue. Iori told me that you are ready for your first lesson." 

"No, Mr. Hida. I am not even allowed to even set foot inside the dojo. My will parents would not allow it." 

"On the contrary, Iori just asked them," Iori's grandfather said with a smile. "They told him that as long as I am your teacher, you may take lessons from me, free of charge." 

"Thank you Mr. Hida. When shall I return? Tomorrow afternoon?" 

"No, no, no, no. Since you are such a good friend to Iori, I will give you a private lesson now." He walked back to his office and returned with a uniform. "You can change in here. When you are done, come into the dojo and you will begin your training." 

He led her to a doorway next to his office. Expecting to walk into a large locker room, Miyako was surprised to find an empty room with nothing but a large mirror on the wall. She dutifully changed and walked into the dojo, bowing as she had watched everyone do as they entered and exited the room. Mr. Hido was not there, so she began stretching on her own. A few minutes later he returned with a video camera and a tripod. 

"Iori? Iori come here. Set this up, now." He handed the tripod to his grandson, who had an excited look on his face. 

"What's with the video camera Mr. Hida?" Miyako asked. 

"I always record my students' first lessons, so that they will never forget what it felt like to be a beginner. It helps mold them into better teachers." 

"But you never recorded my first lesson…" Iori protested. 

"Just set it up, and don't go anywhere, I'll need you in a minute." He was being much more insistent than he usually was. In fact, he almost seemed like he was nervous about something. As Iori began setting up the camera, Mr. Hido began instructing her on the basic principles of kendo. "For our first lessons though, we will not be using the shinai. First, you will learn balance, so we will work on some footwork." 

_Boring_, thought Miyako. _When do we start fencing?_

"Iori, is the camera ready?" His grandfather shouted from the other side of the room, frantically closing the blinds. _It's probably for the camera_, Miyako thought. _Too much light would mess up the exposure_. 

"Yes grandpa." 

"Excellent. Now, start recording." Mr. Hida yelled across the room. He dutifully hit record, and a little red light lit up just above the lens. Miyako was always camera-shy, but this was an exciting occasion. She smiled and waited for her cue. "Now Miyako, I want you to take a forward stance and throw punches until I tell you to stop." 

"Yes sir." She replied. Punches were not a part of kendo, but the class often practiced unarmed fighting techniques. She had actually practiced many herself while watching from outside the dojo, so she knew well enough what to do. _This seems weird, but I better listen to him._ She began punching in the air for what seemed to be several minutes, not even paying attention to the camera, Iori, or Mr. Hida. _Where is he anyway?_ She looked up at the mirror and saw him behind her. He was pouring something into a rag. _Is he cleaning the dojo now?_

"Pay no attention to me! Return to your exercise!" He shouted. He had never been so forceful before. Miyako quickly looked back at the camera. 

"Yes Mr. Hi..." She felt something covering her mouth, and the last thing she remembered before blacking out was the delightful expression on Iori's face. 

It was something she had never told anyone. 

"Miyako…are you okay?" Koushiro asked her. At that moment she snapped back to reality, but could not respond to him. One word kept running through her mind. _No...no... _She didn't notice Koushiro's hand brushing her arm as she turned away from him and walked to a patch of grass along the pedway. A sick feeling came over her whole body, and she slumped to the ground sobbing. _No..._   
  
...end of chapter 4   
  
  



	6. Sprouts

chapter 5 revision

chapter 5

Sprouts

Sora's turn... 

"I wish I had a job like that…sit around and pick flowers all day…" The man's voice faded as he walked out the door with his wife, holding a mixed bouquet of carnations under his arm. Sora Takenouchi was used to their ignorant remarks though. While most of her mother's customers toiled in hot, cramped offices day after day under buzzing fluorescent lights, crunching numbers and glazing their eyes at bright computer screens, they had a cool and comfortable shop where they spent their days working with living things. 

_Of course they're going to be jealous_, she thought, closing the cash register. _I just wish more people understood the complexities of flower arranging._ Even her friends sometimes made simplistic assumptions about her job, and she always made sure to correct them. She would tell them that anyone could pick out flowers and bundle them together into a bouquet, but it required a special touch to turn a seemingly random sample or pettaled plants into a work of art. This required years of training and an understanding of the true meaning and significance of each individual flower, and as much of an understanding of botany as design. Arranging them into a balanced composition pleasing to the eye from all angles was a skill that took years of study. 

Sora had watched her mother create such masterpieces for years, and although she knew that still had much to learn, she understood the ins and outs of the flower shop well enough to run it quite competently-competently enough that her mother would trust her with the business for the next three days while she was out of town at the annual Kobe flower convention. Luckily, it was not expected to be a very busy week and most of the advance orders had already been completed. Sora had only a few tedious tasks left to perform in the hour before closing. 

She shivered as she stepped into the large refrigerated storeroom that kept their inventory fresh. She selected a white rose and removed it from the vase it was soaking in, carefully so not to touch any of its thorns. She gently laid it on a towel and carried it out, a wisp of cold steam slipping out of the door as it closed behind her. She quickly placed it in a larger glass vase filled with many other flowers and searched the front counter for her knife. There was one, and only one that she used for the delicate task of cutting the stems. If done incorrectly, the lifespan of the flower would be drastically shortened. _No one knows how much work goes into these_, she thought, not proudly, but factually. _If customers wanted pre-packaged flower bouquets or cheap prices, they can go to Yoko's. If they want something with a personal touch, they'll come here._

She searched the counter for it, a small knife with a rubber handle and a dangerously sharp blade. It had to be sharp or else the stems could crack in the process of cutting them. Eventually she found it amidst a mess of unsorted paperwork that had piled up since her mother left the night before. She held the flower in the vase, grabbed the knife and held it at a 45-degree angle underwater. It wasn't a very difficult procedure, but it required concentration. She was about to cut the stem when she heard a loud bang and the chimes signaling that a new customer had entered the store.   
  
"Hi Sora!" Iori ecstatically greeted her. It was an entrance more suited for a robber than a small boy.   
  
"Iori!" His unexpected appearance temporarily shifted Sora's attention from her task at hand, and exactly .487 seconds later, the knife finished cutting through the rose's stem and entered into her left index finger. "Oh sh_t!" she screamed.   
  
"Sora?" Iori asked, quite confused. He had probably never been greeted like that before. Once he saw the glass vase turn a bright red color though, he knew what had happened. "Oh no! Here, let me help…"   
  
"No, it's ok." Sora stubbornly replied as she dropped the knife inside the vase and pulled her hand out. She squeezed her finger hard to keep the bleeding under control. _Thank God there aren't any customers now_, she thought. She ran to the bathroom and turned on the warm water. "Quick, get me the first aid kit."   
  
"Where is it?" He had not ever been in the shop before, let alone behind the counter. At that moment Hikari came in behind him, not knowing what to make of the confusion.   
  
"It's in the cabinet!" Sora screamed through gritted teeth. She looked over her shoulder to see him looking in the wrong place. _That baka!_ "No, the other ones, over there!" Iori turned around and knocked over a vase, which shattered to the floor.   
  
"Iori!" Sora screamed. By this time the blood was running down her arm. He stooped down and set himself to picking up the flowers and glass fragments scattered on the floor. Hikari went to the proper set of doors, opened them and brought a small box over to Sora, who was still clutching her finger like it would fall off if she let go. She did let go though, and tore into the box ripping out gauze and bactine. Hikari ran to the phone and called the only person she knew that could help. 

It had been a tense fifteen minutes since she picked up the phone and called Jyou Kido, but he had arrived as quickly as he could. Now Sora's finger was wrapped in gauze. Hikari held the excess bandage tight, and Jyou carefully cut it from the roll. He examined his work, holding her hand for a few seconds longer than was probably necessary. Before letting himself get carried away he let go of her hand and stuffed his supplies back in his bag, the same one that he had carried with him in the Digital World three years prior. _It's not in the same shape that it was back then_, Sora thought, but she was thankful that he still had it. 

"That's the best I can do for now. It should stop the bleeding." 

"Thanks Jyou. If my mom knew that I cut myself on the first day she let me run the shop alone she'd probably kill me." Sora replied. _If I don't accidentally kill myself first_, she thought. 

"Sorry I caused such a mess. It was an accident you know." Iori said bluntly.   
  
"It's not your fault, don't worry about it Iori." Sora cheerfully said. _Why did Hikari have to bring that little brat over here?_ she thought. There was just something about him. The boy had the creepiest detached gaze and the ugliest plastered haircut she had ever seen. Sora never really liked it when he tagged along, and she had the feeling that Hikari didn't enjoy his company either, even if they did have to work together.   
  
"So are you going to reopen?" Hikari asked. They had locked the doors and put up the closed sign since her accident, letting no one in except Jyou.   
  
"No, it's passed closing time anyway. Unless you need some flowers," she said almost sarcastically. The shop was only open mornings on Saturdays.   
  
"Well…can I get some?" She asked Sora.   
  
"For what?" she asked, somewhat surprised.   
  
"Ohmygosh, I never told you? Wallace is coming today!" Hikari said quite ecstatically. "We're picking him up at the airport tonight!" 

"Oh, that's great! I just can't wait to meet him!" Sora was shocked when she first heard that there was a Digidestined living in America, and even more surprised when she found out that he was moving to Odabia. _That's just the weirdest coincidence!_ She sometimes wondered if it was more than just a coincidence. _I can't believe it; they'll actually be together!_ She knew about their relationship, which didn't exist in the traditional sense of the word. That was to say that they never officially declared their mutual feelings to their families or friends, but everyone knew regardless of their attempts to conceal it. _At least now they can move forward with their relationship._ Sora realized that she was daydreaming (which she chalked up to the minor loss of blood she had just endured) and that Hikari was staring at her, and she quickly regained her composure. 

"I know, I know…I've got the perfect flowers for him." Sora walked across the room and took some Primrose off the shelf. "These flowers represent young love." 

"Sora, he's American, not to mention that he's A GUY!" Jyou said sarcastically. "I don't think it matters to him what kind of flowers he gets." 

"Jyou, it matters!" Sora shot back at him. _Doesn't he have any respect for the art of flower arranging?_ "Besides, he's probably going to be nervous and tired after the flight. We'll want to give him a great welcome! Oh, I know! Let's go look at some Zinnias. A mixed bouquet will tell him that you've been thinking about him and you've missed him very much." 

"Oh, that's perfect! I know he'll just love it!" Hikari squealed, perhaps a little too enthusiastically. 

"You sound like you've really missed him. Anything you want to tell us?" Jyou asked teasingly. 

"Oh, um…" Hikari stuttered. "Not really. You'd be excited to see him if you had ever met him. Trust me, you'll think he's the coolest!" 

"Just because he's American doesn't mean I'm going to be impressed." Jyou said in a skeptical tone. 

"Don't be like that Jyou! C'mon Sora, show me those flowers." 

"Whoa, hold on Sora," Jyou interjected. "You really should go to the hospital and see a doctor. Just because you're not bleeding doesn't mean that your finger is fine. You should get stitches, not to mention that there could be muscle or nerve damage. You really should go and get it checked out now before…" 

"Okay Jyou, I'll go as soon as I'm done helping Hikari. This will only take five minutes." She led Hikari to the storeroom to select the perfect flower for Wallace. 

"Alright, but as soon as you're done I'm taking you to the emergency room!" 

_Jyou's never been so insistent before. He's probably just taken too many first aid courses_, Sora thought. However, she believed that he probably knew what he was talking about and that he simply had her best interests at heart. The somewhat nerdy hypochondriac that she knew from the digital world had changed considerably over the years. The irrational paranoia and constant nervousness that once characterized him were gone. Obviously he didn't look the same either. He had let his hair grow out, and he actually looked quite handsome now. _Handsome? Do I really think so?_ She had noticed how he was holding her hand, how gentle he was in tending her wound…_his skin was so soft…what am I thinking?_ She shook that thought and searched for the flowers. 

"What are you looking for?" Iori asked. He had followed them to the back of the store and into the storeroom. Not wanting to wait all by himself, Jyou was lingering behind the counter.   
  
"A very special flower that will tell Wallace how Hikari feels about him." Sora stated. "They symbolize remembrance and lasting affection. That is what you want to say, right Hikari?" 

She didn't answer. She just stared at the flowers and let out a sigh, visible in the cold air to anyone who hadn't heard it. 

_Ah, young love_, Sora thought. _It's why I love this job.___

...end of chapter 5 


	7. Tea

chapter 6 revision 2

Chapter 6

Tea

Koushiro's turn... 

  
  
Miyako sat on the edge of the boardwalk, legs dangling over the edge, the low tide waves of Tokyo Bay gently splashing at the cement wall some eight, nine feet below her, splashing the soles of her shoes. She rested her head on her arms, crossed across her chest and resting on the lower rungs of the rope fencing that stretched along the crossable perimeter of the island. Odabia was a clean and peaceful place, especially compared to the rest of Tokyo, but it was all man-made, built on a landfill and completely artificial - not much different from the way she felt that she had been presenting herself to others. 

_She's spent the last three years trying to cover it up, bury it, build on top of it and pretend it never happened_, Koushiro silently observed. He sat next to her in much the same matter, his legs hanging a bit shorter and a blank expression on his face. It was a strange and foreign feeling for him - not having an answer to a problem. She had just told him everything, and he had no idea what to do. The suddenness of it all had left him completely unable to comfort her or even provide any practical advice. There were strange things in life that he could accept - after all, he had been to the digital world. Still, his knowledge and experiences had not prepared him for this. 

_It's impossible! It can't be!_ Yet he knew that Miyako would never lie to him. It was almost impossible to comprehend, however, that such a seemingly innocent boy could be capable of such an act. Koushiro thought he knew Iori, but for once he had been completely wrong. He did not know Iori's grandfather very well, but judging from the few times he had met him, he seemed like a genuinely kind man. _I guess you can't judge books by their covers._

It had been a perfect morning; just the two of them, alone in the computer lab. He had been looking forward to it all week, not just because he could throw himself into his work yet again, but that she would be working by his side. However, they mostly kept to themselves, immersed in their respective tasks and speaking to each other in a geekspeak only the two of them understood. It took Koushiro all morning to build up the nerve to ask her out for lunch, and when he finally did it felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. It would be the perfect chance to tell her how he felt, and he had the perfect place in mind. 

Now they were sitting right where he had planned all along, but under completely different circumstances than he hoped. He had pulled Miyako off the ground where she had been weeping and shaking for a few minutes, where passersby stared at her and exchanged judgmental glances toward Koushiro, and led her to the edge of the boardwalk. There she recounted the story to him in short bits, interrupted by blasts of tortured sobbing. Koushiro felt helpless. The girl he loved was suffering, reliving an event that he could not intervene with. He might as well have been a witness, for he could picture it all in detail so vivid that he felt utterly ashamed of himself for dwelling on it. Every agonizing second of it had been running itself through his head since for the past half hour, long after she had ceased speaking and resigned herself to silently staring across the water. Koushiro found himself staring off as well, watching as the train carried passengers across the bridge and to Shimbashi Station, near the beach. It passed them every five minutes, but he had lost count of how many times it gone by. Watching the time was the last thing on his mind; he was still processing the situation. _Should I hug her? Should I hold her hand? Should I say something encouraging? What good will any of that do?_ To him, expressions like 'I'm here for you', 'It'll be alright' or 'We'll get through this' were just clichés, preprogrammed responses that were meaningless and certainly were not going to solve anything. 

It was like a war inside of him, one part wanting to support her as a friend, another wanting revenge on her attackers, and yet another part wanting to take the moment to express his real feelings for her. _ But I can't do that now! I'd be taking advantage of her just like they did! _ He knew what he wanted to do about it, but he saw it as a futile act, one that if performed in a haphazard manner and in the state of rage that he was slipping into could backfire or completely fail. _You're being selfish_, he thought to himself. _Violence doesn't solve anything_. Yet some kind of action still seemed preferable to planning, so he reached out and took her hand. 

"Thank you for telling me that," he said honestly. "It means a lot to me that you would trust me enough to tell me that." _That's just great Koushiro, keep congratulating yourself!_ "What I mean is, I hope that you feel better now that you've told someone. Its not good to keep secrets like that bottled up for long." 

She turned to Koushiro, resting her chin on her one arm, holding his hand with the other. It was the first time he had ever seen her without her glasses (which he had picked off the ground and had slipped back into her pocket before she realized she had dropped them), and it only confirmed his theory that she was not only the prettiest girl in the world, but perfect for him. She was not any more or less attractive without her them, but gone he could see her natural beauty. He had lost himself in her eyes before, but only from across the room or through the computer screen (as they would sometimes chat using their web cams). This time her gaze had made him forget everything except his love for her and how much he wanted to physically express it. Anyone watching them could have seen that he was obviously leaning in for a kiss, and his intentions certainly weren't lost on Miyako. It would have made the perfect moment if he hadn't stopped himself in the act, remembering why they were sitting there in the first place. He felt a surge of guilt as he came back to reality, and he did the only that he could think of that could possibly make up for his blunder. Jumping off the ledge into the ocean seemed like a possible option, but instead he awkwardly reached around her and pulled her into an embrace. There they sat for some time, although he wondered if his actions had only made things worse. Her muffled crying seemed to indicate that they had, but he still held her tightly, never wanting to let her go. 

After a time Miyako stopped crying but laid still. It was a few minutes before she regained her composure, sat up, brushed her tear soaked hair from her face and spoke. 

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to do that. Its just…right now I'm so confused…I don't know what to do," she sniffed. 

"It's okay. I'll take care of it," said Koushiro. 

"You're not going to tell anyone," she asked him. "Are you?" 

"Miyako, you know that we have to tell the police about it," he said. "They can help you, and they can make sure that he never does that to anyone ever again." 

"No!" Miyako pleaded. "You can't tell anyone! If my father ever finds out he'll…please…please don't." 

"But it's not your fault. You didn't do anything. You have to believe that." 

"I know! I know! He's just…my whole family is…they just wouldn't understand. Please don't tell them!" 

"Miyako…" Koushiro gently grabbed her by the arm and looked her in the eye. "I promise I won't tell your parents. I'm not going to the police either, not if you don't want me to." 

"Koushiro?" 

"Yes?" 

"Promise that you won't tell any of the others?" 

He was hoping that she wouldn't push them away. They were the only help she had. "Are you sure? They're your friends, they'll want to help you! You know that you can trust them!" 

"No Koushiro, please don't tell them. Promise that you won't. Everyone else thinks I'm a boy-chasing flirt. They'll either think I'm making it up for attention…or they'll think I was asking for it." 

"No they won't. Believe me, they care about you just as much as I do!" He suspected that some of them might pass judgment on her, at least initially, but he knew that she needed more support than he alone could give her. _I don't want to lie to her, but still I can't insist on anything_. He decided not to push the issue any further for the time being. "I promise I won't tell any of them." 

They sat for a few minutes more, not saying much. Miyako looked back across the bay as another train made its way across the bridge. Koushiro watched people pass them by on bikes and skates, pushing strollers and walking in groups. A young couple was leading their child down the boardwalk, one of the thousands of families that had made the weekend trip to "Rainbow Island" as it was sometimes called. As he watched them together he longed to hold his real mother's hand or be picked up by his true father. He wanted to go back, back to when he was young and the world was a friendly place full of discovery and wonder. However, he had found out that it wasn't always what it seemed to be, and all of those rosy memories spent with the people that he grew up calling his parents now felt somewhat tainted. He loved them dearly, but in a way he felt deceived by the world. While he tried to remember his youth Miyako flicked a small pebble into the water, its splash breaking him out of his trance. 

Eventually they got up and began walking back in the direction of the school. Neither of them had said anything but they had decided to give their work there a rest. Having spent almost the entire day together, there was not much left for either of them to say. Ahead, Koushiro spotted a tea house, and he was about to suggest that they stop inside for a drink when Miyako let out a long sigh. _It's too late to try to salvage the afternoon_, he thought. _You can't just pretend that nothing happened. Besides, she needs to go home_. He did not want to leave her, partly because of the pain that she was in, partly because of the emptiness he would feel having gone another day hiding his feelings from her. They finally reached her apartment building and rode the elevator to her floor, where he left her with kind but ultimately meaningless words that worked like a Band-Aid on the mortal wounds she had taken. 

"Promise me that you'll call if you need anything," Koushiro told her. "I can be over here in five minutes." 

"Ok," Miyako replied solemnly. "Thanks Koushiro." They stood silently for an awkward minute before she officially ended their day together. "I guess I'll see you Monday." 

"Ok," Koushiro agreed. He tried to think of something else to say, but 'have a good weekend' just didn't sound right. "See you later." 

"Bye," Miyako said as she closed the door. 

Koushiro lingered outside the door for a minute until he remembered that she could be watching him through the peephole on the door. He quickly walked down the hall and into the stairwell. There, he sat down on the landing and buried his head in his hands. _ How could I be so stupid?_ His best friend had just poured out her soul to him and he had given her nothing back, even though he wanted to give her everything he had and more. He had been carefully choosing his words though, not wanting to sound insensitive yet not wanting to confess his love at a time when she was feeling so insecure and vulnerable. _Patience...restrain yourself...good Koushiro, now that you're alone you can figure this out._ At least he hoped he could. 

Collecting himself, Koushiro got back up and walked down the down the stairs, all the way contemplating his next move. Halfway to the ground floor, he suddenly stopped. Checking the number on the nearest door, he realized that he was now on Takeru's floor. Koushiro needed someone, not necessarily to talk to, but just to be with. Takeru's smile always cheered him up, so he opened the door and started down the hall to his apartment. _I hope he doesn't mind a surprise visit.___

Two minutes later, his knocking still hadn't gotten any response, and Koushiro soon remembered why. _He left with the others to pick up Wallace at the airport. How could I have forgotten? _He was about to leave when he noticed a key protruding from the lock. _One of them must have left it here this morning. _He reasoned that simply leaving it alone would be just as irresponsible as leaving the door wide open, so he quietly opened the door. _I'll just set it on the counter and leave, no harm in that_, he thought as he flipped the light switch. Setting the keys on the kitchen counter, he saw a note.   


> > > > > > > Takeru I'm so sorry, but I won't be home   
until after midnight. There's leftovers in the   
fridge. I promise we'll go out later this week.   
I love you Takeru. ~mom

Koushiro looked at the clock, which read 8:32. _I've definitely got some time before anyone gets back._ He shut the door and grabbed the phone. _I'm sure they won't mind if I make just one call_.

"Hello?"

"Hi mom, it's me."

"Koushiro? Oh honey are you alright? Did something happen? Please tell me what's wrong!"

"Mom, I'm fine. I just wanted to check in with you."

"Oh...thank God. Did you take your jacket with you?"

"Yes mother." He did take it with him, but it was hanging in the computer lab at school. _Equivocation and telling lies are two different things_, he assured himself. "Can I stay out a little later tonight? I'm at Takeru's right now."

"Well I don't see any reason why not. I'd like to speak to his mother though."

_Why does she have to be so protective?_ "Uh...I think she's a little busy right now, and you know how writers are when they get into their work. You really don't want to interrupt them...heh."

"Oh, okay. Well you have a nice time and call me if you need anything at all. I can bring you some peanut butter and..."

"No mom, it's okay. Just relax, I'll be home later."

"Okay. I love you Koushiro."

"I love you too mom."

"Good bye."

"Bye." Koushiro hung up the phone and flipped his laptop open. _Might as well get back to programming,_ he thought. For a few minutes he tried to hack away at some of his projects, but finding himself unable to concentrate, eventually gave up. Leaving his computer on the counter, Koushiro walked to the living room where he sprawled out on the couch. _Careful, _he thought. _Don't make yourself too at home._ He really liked their apartment, although Miyako's family had one just like it. _So do the Hidas. Isn't their apartment on the fifth floor? _Staring at the ceiling he wondered if it was right above him. Pushing those thoughts away he checked the clock again. _8:43. Takeru shouldn't be much longer._ Letting go of all the tension and anger that had been building up inside of him for the past hour, he drifted off to sleep.

...end of chapter 6 


	8. Fries

chapter 7 revision   


Chapter 7

Fries

Hikari's turn...   
  
  


_What do I want to say? I haven't seen him in more than a year. What if he's changed? What if that wasn't the "real" Wallace to begin with? Could I just be kidding myself, believing what I want to believe and remembering only what I want about him?_

Such questions had been running through Hikari's mind ever since she left the flower shop. She would have preferred to silently ponder them on her own, but Iori's incessant questioning prevented her from resolving the issue. _It's funny_, she thought, _I feel so alone sometimes, yet whenever I actually want some time to myself I just can't get it_. When she finally parted ways with him she walked home, faster than usual. Once she walked through the door though, Taichi told her that Wallace's flight would be considerably late. Hikari was eager to leave, but glad that she would have more time to get ready. She placed the flowers in a tall glass of water and sat on their balcony, taking in the breezes from across the bay and enjoying the late summer afternoon sun. She spent a considerable time doing nothing but thinking about her life, and how extraordinarily weird it had been up to that point. After all that she had been through, not much could shock her. Still, she couldn't believe that he was coming. _He's coming, and he'll be here today! _The time soon passed and she went back inside. After a hot shower and almost an hour making sure that she looked just perfect, she left with her brother and their friends. 

Now she was wedged in the backseat of Yamato's Toyota, squished against the right rear door by Takeru and Daisuke. It was by no measure a large car, but sitting with two boys made it feel even more cramped than it actually was. In the front seat Yamato and Taichi were arguing about how to get to the airport. _It will be even worse on the ride home_, she thought, _unless I get to sit by Wallace_. Thinking about it more though, she realized that it probably would not be the right time or place to get caught up. The ride home would play host to a number of general questions and small-talk including but not limited to 'how was your flight?', 'what do you think of Japan so far?', etc. They would reminisce about their time in America and answer whatever questions he had about Japan. There would surely be too many to answer in the car, but they would all do their best. They planned on going to a restaurant to celebrate the occasion before dropping him off at his new apartment, a building nearly a mile from hers. There certainly wouldn't be time for any consequential discourse, not between the two of them. 

_So why did I bring him flowers? Do I want to look desperate? No matter how he feels about me, he'll just interpret it as a cultural thing, 'Oh, it must be a Japanese tradition to greet guests with flowers.'_ The bouquet sat on the armrest in between Yamato, who was desperately trying to change lanes as the exit ramp came into view, and Taichi, who was holding a road map in his face. Daisuke and Takeru were being quite restrained considering that they had sat next to her for the past half hour and barely touched each other. She realized that it had been some time since either of them had even spoken, so she glanced over at them, noticing something on Daisuke's forehead 

"Daisuke, is that a bump on your head or are you just hiding a hickey?" A large white bandage covered the right side of his forehead, halfway concealed by his protruding spiky bangs. 

"Iori dropped by this morning," Takeru said. "I guess he thought our kitchen was kendo class." 

"Aren't they supposed to learn not to attack innocent bystanders?" Daisuke moaned. From his appearance, he probably should have stayed in bed. 

"I don't know Daisuke. You do look pretty scary in the morning." Takeru joked. 

Hikari thought of asking Takeru 'Oh, and how would you know?', but it just didn't seem like the right time for a joke. Making cracks about their relationship had gotten old, not to mention that she thought it just sounded immature. Even if she had been in a sillier mood, Hikari still would have kept it to herself. In light of what happened to Sora that morning, she was very intrigued, not to mention somewhat worried. _Is Iori out to kill us?_ "I don't understand. Why did he hit you?" 

"I don't know. I guess it was just an accident." Takeru said. 

Hikari sighed, fogging the window as she leaned back against the door. Wallace's flight was scheduled to arrive at 5:45. The clock on the dashboard, which was an hour fast, read 6:32. Yamato never did figure out how to set it back. She rested her head against the window, trying to rest. Fortunately, Yamato's CD player was stolen, otherwise she'd be subjected to a barrage of noisy punk rock at dangerously high decibels. Regardless, the broken suspension made every minor crevice in the pavement feel like a pothole, transferring the jarring force throughout the body of the car directly to where she was sitting. Not only was the car barely running, but the backseat was also filled with trash. Hikari was up to her ankles in discarded pop cans, french fries and torn up magazines. _And this will be the first car Wallace will set foot in here in Japan. Way to make a good impression Yamato._

"Sometimes I just wish that we didn't have to put up with him." Takeru suddenly said. Everyone was stunned by his words, everyone with the exception of his brother. 

"What did you say Takeru?" Yamato asked, looking at his brother in the rear view mirror. 

"I said that I wish we didn't have to put up with him! Iori's just not cut out to be a Digidestined, and if he wasn't he wouldn't be following us around all the time!" Takeru's voice cracked, but he continued, undaunted. "Look, I don't expect either of you to understand, but if you only knew what we've been through…well, then you would." 

"Takeru, when I was a Digidestined…" Taichi began. 

"What are you talking about? You still are!" Yamato interjected. 

"Whatever. Back then we never looked down on you or excluded you from the group just because you were younger. Right Hikari? I realized that we all had to stick together!" Taichi exclaimed. 

Yamato was appalled. "What do you mean YOU realized?". 

"Okay, alright, WE realized that we were a team, and that no matter what we had to work together and put aside our differences. That's what friendship is all about! Right Yamato? Huh? Huh?" 

"You have the money for parking, right?" he replied. 

Takeru was rather unfazed by Taichi's lecturing, and turned the questions back onto him. "Taichi, are you saying that I was an annoying pest? Was I really that much of a pain to have to watch over?" 

"No way." 

"Did Takeru ever put us in danger?" Hikari asked her brother. 

"Of course not." 

"Did he ever cause you any serious injuries?" Daisuke moaned. 

"No," Taichi admitted. "Not yet anyway," he said, glaring at Takeru suspiciously. 

"So then why are you comparing me to Iori?" Takeru asked. 

"Because you should know what it feels like to be in his position!" Taichi said, satisfied that he had made his point. 

"Are you forgetting about me? I'm two months younger than him!" Hikari sarcastically asked her brother. 

"Okay Hikari, you can relate to Takeru. Tell him that he needs to be more patient with Iori." 

"The only way that we can relate on this is that we both agree!" She looked at Takeru, who wore an expression balancing between frozen shock and gleeful surprise. Hikari felt slightly guilty for saying something so mean, yet relieved to have finally gotten it off her chest, not to mention finding that she was not alone in her feelings. It was comforting to know that there was someone else that shared her disdain for the boy. 

"As our leader I propose that we just get rid of him," Daisuke declared. "Who seconds the motion?" 

"Daisuke, you can't do that! Yamato, pull over now!" Taichi was outraged. 

"I'm not pulling over. We're almost to the parking lot," he replied. 

"Daisuke, that's not how it works," Taichi pleaded. 

"Why not? You're not the leader anymore, I am," Daisuke insisted. 

"That's it!" Taichi cried, unbuckling his seat belt and turning around. "Give me back my goggles, now!" He reached for them and missed, instead ripping the bandage off Daisuke's head. 

"Owwwwwww! Hey, that hurt!" Daisuke pulled his goggles down around his neck and cupped his hands around his wound. It had swollen considerably over the course of the day and looked like it could burst. 

"Taichi Yagami!" Hikari screamed. "You'll pay for that!" She reached over his head and locked her arms around his throat, pinning him against the back of the seat. As he struggled to break free of her grip, Takeru tried to comfort Daisuke, who was groaning in pain. Despite the commotion, Yamato kept his composure, that is, until Taichi accidentally flicked Daisuke's sticky bandage into his lap. He quickly slammed on the brakes, causing everyone except for Taichi (who was being restrained by his sister) to lunge forward in their seats. Yamato remained motionless, staring straight ahead as he spoke. 

"Okay, look. I don't know what has been going on between the three of you and Iori, but I don't want to hear another thing about it for the rest of today. Does everyone understand?" He gazed at them in the rear view mirror. They nodded obediently. "Now we're all going to be on our best behavior and we're going to give our American friend a friendly and respectful Japanese welcome. Okay?" 

"Yes," everyone said in unison. 

"Well alright." Yamato rolled down the window, grabbing the temporary parking pass from the ticket machine. Everyone was looking for an open space, but they had to settle for one towards the back of the lot. As they got out of the car Hikari stretched her calves; it would be a long walk to the terminal. _We might as well take a plane to get there_, she thought. Taichi handed her the flowers, which she cradled with care as they began their journey to gate C9 of Narita International. She lagged behind the others, excited to see Wallace but struggling with her expectations of him. Takeru and Daisuke held hands as they walked ahead of her, and Hikari couldn't help but wonder if Wallace would ever offer his hand to her. She honestly believed that he someday would, but felt that she was setting herself up for disappointment. _Why can't I just be his friend? Why do I have to think of him like he's going to be my boyfriend?_ She felt utterly disgusted with herself and considered turning around and just waiting in the car. It took the roaring sound of a 747, coming in for a landing no more than a few hundred feet over her head to break her out of her self-pity and alert her to the absurdity of her attitude. 

"What are you thinking Hikari?" she asked herself outloud. _Stop being so immature and get in there._ She turned around and was surprised how far she had lagged behind the others, although she knew she couldn't expect Daisuke and Takeru to notice. Hand in hand they walked, unconcerned with what anyone else thought of them. _To be so strong_, she thought as she jogged ahead, catching up with them just as Wallace's plane touched down. 

...end of chapter 7 

Author Notes

Taito? I don't think so, but if you see it that way then just go with it. I hope that I haven't made Hikari sound too codependent, but try to imagine what you'd be thinking if the guy/girl of your dreams, who you never thought you'd see again, was moving just down the street from you. Anyway I hope that you have been enjoying this story and that actually it's made sense so far. If it hasn't then I might as well just trash it and go back to writing little 2-page fics. Hey, there's nothing wrong with that, as I 've read tons of great short fics on this site, but I thought it was time that I tried something a little more complex. 

I'm quite sure that the Digidestined live in Odabia, but a little voice in the back of my head is trying to tell me they live in Obadia. Also I'm not sure if Iori's last name is Hido or Hida. The last time I can remember reading it, it was Hida, so I'm going to stick with that. Without access to the Internet here at home, there's no way I can check these, so if they're incorrect they may not be fixed for some time. I post my fics using Netscape Composer in a complicated manner I won't try to explain here, but once I write something, I can only fix it from my home computer, not the computer I use to get on the Internet. It's a long story. 

I've been trying to keep everyone in character, but I realize that I may have gone a little over-the-top with Iori. I think I've done a pretty decent job with everyone else though, but I want to know what you think. I love reviews and I'd really appreciate any, even if they're really short (example: 'It sucks!'), so give me your honest opinion of this so far.   



	9. Carrots

chapter 8 revision

chapter 8

Carrots

Wallace's turn (again)...   
  
  


Everyone has silly rituals that they repeat on regular occasions; in Wallace's case, he always felt the urge to touch the outside of the plane whenever he would board or get off of one. He had no idea why he had to do it, or when this habit first started, but he had done it enough times to notice that it was, in fact, a habit. It was always easier to do when boarding, for the line always moved much slower as the people ahead secured their luggage and found their seats. Getting off was a different matter though, and after a 12-hour flight, Wallace figured that everyone would be in an impatient rush to get off the plane as soon as possible. His suspicions were soon confirmed, but fortunately an elderly woman was directly ahead of him in line. Her sluggish pace annoyed the other passengers, but it gave him the time to satisfy his curiosity. As he crossed the threshold between the hatch and the tunnel that lead back to the terminal, he reached out and ran his finger in a circular motion around a bolt along the outside of the door. It was slightly rusted and cold to the touch. 

Finally the hunchbacked woman waddled into the tunnel, allowing Wallace and everyone else in line to walk around her. He felt sorry for her and sincerely wanted to help, but his Good Samaritan instincts were shot down by the realization that she might misunderstand his gesture. _Just find Hikari and Daisuke and you'll be fine. There's no need to freak someone out the second you get off the plane._ He also wasn't sure if he would be able to make it to the terminal himself, for the day had left him feeling dizzy, famished, and above all, exhausted. The food on the plane was less than appetizing: a mess of carrots in some kind of cream sauce that had the stringiness of most Japanese food he had tasted, and the greasiness of most American cuisine. _It's fine to try to please everyone_, he thought. _But you shouldn't when it comes to food. _Crossing the International Date Line rendered his internal clock and circadian rhythm haywire. He didn't even know what time it was, let alone what day. He reminded himself that he would soon be at home (_whatever that is anymore_) and free to sleep in for the two weeks before the beginning of school. He'd be busy, but there would be plenty of time to get acquainted with his new surroundings and catch up with his friends. 

_Friends? I barely know them!_ With the exception of Hikari, he really did not know very much about any of the others, save for Daisuke. _Heh, I never would have guessed that he was, "like that", not if Hikari hadn't told me._ Still, he worried. _What if everyone sees me as some kind of freak?_ He remembered how he and his classmates used to treat foreign exchange students at his old school. They would constantly tease them and make fun of their limited understanding of English, their attempts to fit in and be "American" and anything else that made them different. It was always good-natured, but Wallace didn't know if he could take it himself. _Oh well_, he thought, _it's not like I don't deserve it. It's probably time the tables were turned_. He readjusted his backpack and set himself to finding his companions. 

Walking down the tunnel he could hear the faintest echoes of sound coming from the terminal, a sonic collage of atomized PA announcements, whistling luggage carts and a chorus of voices speaking in a tongue he could not understand. He was thankful that his friends knew English well. They spoke it well enough that upon first meeting them he was shocked to find out that they weren't American. _I hope they don't get tired of having to speak it though._ It wasn't his intention to make his presence as fun as sitting in a foreign language class. 

He could see the end of the tunnel, the bright exit that led to the spacious terminal. As he approached it his senses became overwhelmed to the point that if they were standing right in front of him, he might still not see them. Standing at the gate in what seemed to be a sea of people, he realized for the first time just how far he was from America. His eyes darted across the crowd, and he decided that he would simply wait for them to find him. _Hey, how hard can it be to spot a white boy in Japan?_ What followed was one of the most picturesque moments of his life, not that it was an extraordinarily unlikely event or even something that anyone else watching could have appreciated, but that it unfolded in a storybook manner that he felt he had no right to even wish for. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around. 

"Hi Wallace," Hikari said, smiling and holding a bouquet of colorful flowers. She looked just like he remembered her, and she was even wearing that outfit that he was crazy about. 

"Hikari…" he threw his arms around her and they held each other close until the crowd from Wallace's flight finished filing off the plane. When they finished hugging, he naturally folded his hands in front of him, just as she did, and in a simultaneous natural reaction they held hands. For a moment they just stared into each other's eyes, and it was all that Wallace could have hoped for. _Well, maybe it's not a good as my dream, but she's even more beautiful in real life_. "I missed you so much." 

"I missed you too Wallace," she said. "I can't believe you're finally here." 

"I know," he sighed. "I wasn't sure if I was going to survive the trip." 

Hikari giggled. "Well I'm glad you did. C'mon, let's go. The others are waiting." 

He took the flowers from her and they walked down the aisle to where the others were sitting. Yamato was reading concert reviews in a newspaper, and Taichi had the sports section. Daisuke laid sprawled out across a row of plastic seats, much the way that Wallace was over a half-day ago, and Takeru sat on the floor, leaning against the wall. When Takeru saw him he smacked Daisuke across the knee and ran to Wallace. Not knowing what kind of greeting to expect, Wallace was rather surprised when Takeru offered him a traditional American greeting. They exchanged high-fives. 

"It's great to see you again TK!" Wallace exclaimed. 

"It's Takeru," Daisuke said. "This isn't America, Willis." Wallace held out his hand to Daisuke, but was suddenly pulled into a bear hug. He barely had time to pull his flowers out from in between them before Daisuke squeezed the breath out of him, picked him up and spun him around. 

"I never thought I'd see you again!" Daisuke wailed. "Don't ever leave me like that again!" 

"I didn't leave you," Wallace choked out. "You left me…remember?" _Same old Daisuke_, he thought. _I just hope Takeru doesn't get jealous_. 

"Oh yeah. I forgot." Daisuke let go of Wallace, who took a few gasps before he could speak again. 

"I'm…I'm happy to see you too Daisuke. Hey, what happened to your head?" 

"What? Oh, my head. Um…uh…Takeru?" 

"It's a long story," Takeru sighed. "Oh, Wallace, I'd like to introduce you to my brother Yamato." The tall blonde boy standing next to him extended his hand. 

"Hello Wallace. Welcome to Japan." 

"It's nice to meet you Yamato," Wallace said as they shook hands. 

"Aren't you going to say, 'no autographs, please'?" Taichi laughed at their private joke, but it was lost on everyone else. "Uh…hi Wallace. I'm Taichi, Hikari's brother." 

"Hi Taichi. Hikari's told me so much about you." _He seems friendly enough_. Wallace wanted to make sure he got on Taichi's good side as soon as possible, but it didn't look like that was going to be a big problem. 

"And you can be sure that he'll fill you in on the rest by the end of the day," Yamato remarked, grinning at Taichi. 

By now Wallace began to realize how hungry he was, and hoped that they would offer him some food soon. _Asking for it will just make me sound like a demanding American snob_, he thought. _Way to make a good first impression_. Wallace was relieved when Hikari suggested that they find his luggage, so they dispensed with their small talk and proceeded to the baggage claim. After twenty minutes the first suitcases slid down the ramp and they soon collected his bags, four in all. Everyone insisted on carrying one, so Wallace and Hikari walked side-by-side back to the car. They lagged behind the others, holding hands and joking about things; Yamato's car, Daisuke's memory loss, the old woman on the plane... His palms were sweaty, but she'd never know. 

...end of chapter 8 


	10. Bananas

chapter 9 Author's notes   
Recognizing a terrible oversight I made, I was forced to go back and rewrite the end of chapter 6 ("Tea"). If you have read that chapter prior to June 3, 2001, you'll have to go back and read it again. Otherwise much of this chapter will make little sense. To the peeps who have just started reading this series, don't worry about that. It's all cleared up now. 

  


Chapter 9

Bananas

Takeru's turn (again)... 

  
  


Takeru was shaken from his nap, one of the most pleasant he had ever taken in a car before; Daisuke's thigh made such a nice pillow. _Are we here already?_

"Wake up Takeru, we're here," Daisuke announced. 

"Wha…where?" 

"At your building, now get up before you drool all over me!" He picked Takeru's head off his lap and opened the backseat door. The dome light flickered on, illuminating them as well as Taichi and Yamato in the front seat. 

"Say hi to mom for me." Yamato said. 

"Sure." Takeru didn't even have to tell his brother to give the same message to their father. Their system had become automatic and probably would continue even if they stopped relating greetings to each other. _Dad's probably sleeping now anyway_, Takeru thought. _Fat chance Yamato will remember to tell him._ It didn't really matter though. Takeru knew that he would see his father later in the week regardless. He said goodbye to his brother and shut the door. 

It had been a great day. _Everyone just seemed so…happy._ After leaving the airport they drove around Tokyo, not having any destination in mind but just enjoying the ride. Eventually they stopped at a sushi bar, not one of Tokyo's finest but the only one within their budget. They convinced Wallace that it was the finest establishment in the city, where in reality it was really a dive that bought its fish from the leftover catch at the market. They also told him that eating sushi, and liking it, was necessary if he was going to be accepted into their culture. Obviously there was no such rite of passage, but nevertheless, he dug in and found that it wasn't too bad. _At least that's what he said_, Takeru thought, remembering the look on his face when he swallowed his first bite. Talking to Wallace, Takeru pondered the possibility of becoming good friends with him. They got along great, and he didn't see any reason why they wouldn't. _Well, first he'd have to pull himself away from Hikari for a second. They sure seemed happy to see each other._

After that, they drove him to his new apartment, which Wallace only knew by the address. They all knew exactly where it was, right in the middle of the island and close to all of their buildings. They met his father and stayed until Wallace could barely keep his eyes open. Takeru didn't remember much after that, as he himself had fallen asleep in the car. Daisuke told him that they dropped off Hikari, and that Yamato and Taichi were going out. 

"Going out where?" he asked. 

"How should I know? Let's go, it's chilly out here," Daisuke replied. 

As they ascended the stairs to the entrance of his building, Takeru imagined how good it would feel to fall asleep in Daisuke's arms again. It started almost a month ago, almost by accident when while watching a movie on Daisuke's bed. _Thank God Jun didn't catch us!_ It wouldn't have meant anything, not if Takeru wasn't in love with his best friend. He felt bad enough that morning, guilty and ashamed of what Daisuke would have thought if he knew how Takeru felt about him. It was Daisuke, however, that came out and confessed his feelings to Takeru, and since then they had shared everything with each other and done everything except…_well, that can wait._

Except for Yamato, no one in either of their families suspected a thing. Daisuke had already called his mother from the restaurant, making sure he had permission to stay out again. Takeru could tell what her answer was from the expression on his friend's face as he walked back to their table. It wasn't unusual for Takeru's mother to come home for part of the day and return to the office later. Tonight she had to help put the Sunday paper to bed, and wouldn't be home until the early hours of the morning. 

Takeru opened the front door of the building and they walked into the dimly lit silent lobby. The echo of their footsteps on the marble floor reverberated throughout the room, the only sound until Takeru pressed the button to call the elevator down. A slow groan of winding cable and humming hydraulics could be heard as the lift descended to their level, finally signaled by the comforting "ping" tone as it reached the bottom floor. As the door closed behind them, Daisuke slipped his arm around Takeru's waist. 

"Daisuke!" Takeru giggled. "What're you doing?" 

"What do you mean?" Daisuke replied, backing Takeru into the corner of the elevator as the doors closed behind them. "You don't want to?" 

"Not here!" Takeru insisted, trying to keep his voice down. He didn't want to anyone to hear them, although that was not very likely. He pushed the button for his floor, and the elevator began ascending. 

"What's wrong, are you afraid that we'll get caught?" Daisuke asked Takeru in his 'what are you, scared?' voice. Before he could answer Daisuke slipped his hands under Takeru's shirt and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him close. Before he could do anything Daisuke pulled him into a kiss, their tongues intertwining and spiraling as Daisuke caressed Takeru's chest. Takeru would have given in to his friend's spontaneous advances but knew that it couldn't last much longer. In a few seconds the doors would open. 

"Mmmmpf! Dai…Daisuke!" 

He relaxed his grip on Takeru. "Huh?" 

"The elevator?" 

"Oh, right." He gave him another kiss and pulled his arms out of Takeru's shirt. He quickly untucked his shirt, allowing it to hang loosely past his waist as the doors opened. The hallway was dark, quiet and empty. 

"Wait until we get inside, okay Daisuke? Can you last that long?" Takeru said, keeping his voice down so as not to arouse the suspicions of any light-sleeping neighbors. He trusted his friend to hold to their promise and respect the rules they had agreed on. It was too early to go any farther than they already had, not when their families still didn't know. He took his key from his pocket and inserted it in the lock. 

"What's wrong?" Daisuke asked. 

"The door's already unlocked." 

"Did you remember to lock it this morning?" 

"Yeah, I know I did." 

"Is your mom home?" 

"She's supposed to be at work. There's no way she'd be back this early." That was wishful thinking though, and it looked like they would have to keep it down if Daisuke was going to sleep over. _Maybe this is a bad idea_, he thought. His mom didn't care if he had guests sleep over, but he didn't want his mom catching on, not yet. He quietly opened the door and saw that the kitchen light was on. _Looks like our plans are off._

"Hey Takeru, check this out." Daisuke said, picking a note off the counter. 

Takeru read it. _If she's home, then why did she leave this note?_ "I guess she's not here." 

"See, there's nothing to worry about," Daisuke said, taking the note from Takeru and caressing his cheek. 

"But why did she leave the lights on?" _Something's not right._

"So we wouldn't have to make out in the dark," Daisuke said, wrapping his arms around Takeru from behind. 

"Daisuke, I'm serious!" 

"Don't worry, everything's fine," he said. "You need to relax. Go lie on the couch, I'm going to get something to eat." 

_Sure Daisuke, help yourself_, he thought as he walked into the living room. "Alright, just stay out of the tuna." Takeru's mom never approved of his habit of leaping over the back of the couch in high jump fashion whenever he would lay down, but he relished the chance to do so without reprimand. He found no more satisfying way to crash after a long day. The light from the kitchen dimly illuminated the living room, but he could still see where everything was. He hopped over the back of the sofa and let himself fall onto the soft cushions. 

At first he thought he had landed on his mom, but was actually relieved when he saw Koushiro on the floor, doubled over and clutching his chest. 

"Koushiro? What are you doing here?" 

He choked out an answer. "I was visiting Miyako and thought I'd stop by. I found this in the door and thought I'd wait up for you," he said, pulling a familiar looking key out of his pocket. 

"Oh, that's my mom for you. She forgets it all the time," Takeru said. 

Daisuke came out of the kitchen to see what the commotion was all about. "Hey, who's…oh, hi Koushiro." He was eating a banana. 

"Are you alright?" Takeru asked. 

"Oh, I'm sure I'll be fine, just a few cracked ribs," he joked. "I knew you'd be returning soon, I hope you don't mind my unannounced intrusion." 

"No prob Koushiro," Takeru assured him. "Mi casa, su casa." 

"What?" Daisuke asked. 

"Listen, I need to talk to both of you. It's very serious." 

"What is it?" Takeru asked, picking himself off the floor and sitting down on the couch. 

"Yeah, what's the big news? Did you just upgrade your laptop or something?" Daisuke joked as he sat down next to Takeru. 

"I'm not kidding Daisuke, this is serious. Before I say anything you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone, and I mean anyone about this. Do you understand?" 

"Of course Koushiro. We won't tell anyone." Takeru replied. _What's going on? Why is Koushiro acting like this?_

"Mmm…" Daisuke swallowed a bite of his banana. "Don't worry, my lips are sealed." 

"It's about one of our friends." 

Takeru shuddered at those words. _What happened? Hikari? Ken? Miyako?_ He tried to compose himself, bracing for the worst. He looked over at Daisuke, who was struggling to swallow the last bite of his snack. 

"What?" Daisuke shouted. With a mouthful of banana, it was hard to take him seriously. 

"I'm going to tell you. Just calm down, okay?" Koushiro said. 

"Yeah chill out," Takeru said, holding his hand. 

"Miyako told me something today, and she made me promise that I would keep it a secret. I feel awful about it, but I have to tell someone, especially someone who cares about her like each of you." 

"Well of course we do," Takeru said. _Is she okay?_ "We won't tell anyone, we promise. Right Daisuke?" 

"Hey, scout's honor!" He said, holding up two fingers. 

"They're not supposed to be crossed like that." 

"Oh?" Daisuke blushed. "Sorry…I swear it. I won't tell a soul." 

Koushiro took a deep breath. "Miyako and I were walking down the boardwalk today..." 

"Did you kiss her?" Daisuke asked. "What was it like?" 

Takeru pressed his thumb against Daisuke's forehead, pushing him back against the couch. "I'm sorry Koushiro, you have our full attention now," Takeru said. "Right?" 

"Full…attention…" Daisuke moaned. 

"Okay. This isn't easy for me to say, so I'm just going to tell you in plain and simple terms. Miyako…" He paused, searching for the right words. 

Daisuke tried to coach him along. "Miyako…" 

"Miyako was raped." It was just as he said, in plain and simple terms. 

Takeru sat shocked. _What? How?_ He was hardly prepared for anything like that. 

Daisuke spoke up. "What? By who?" 

"It's someone you know." Koushiro replied. "It's hard to believe…" 

Daisuke glared at him. "Who?" He looked like he would jump out of his seat and choke the answer out of Koushiro if he did not tell him immediately. 

"It was," Koushiro paused, still struggling to get the words out. "It was Iori's grandfather..." 

"Mr. Hida?" Takeru asked. _I can't believe it! _ Daisuke was at a loss for words as well, for once. 

"…and Iori too." 

"Iori?" Takeru gasped. "That's impossible!" For once he wanted to stick up for him. It wasn't something he wanted to believe. 

"It happened about three years ago." Koushiro recalled, blankly staring at the floor. "At least that's what she told me. I don't really know what brought it up today, but she's been repressing it for years. It just…came out." 

Takeru still couldn't believe it. _Three years ago? Iori was only…seven? Eight? How was it possible?_ "When? How did he…" 

"She told me that it was in the dojo," Koushiro said, closing his eyes and hanging his head. "That's where…that's where he did it." 

Takeru was confused. "Miyako never took any kendo lessons." 

"She wasn't allowed to, she was doing it in secret," Koushiro replied. He sat back in his chair. "That's partly why she never told her parents, and why we never knew about it." 

"But…Iori?" Daisuke stammered. 

"I don't know how to explain it, but after Mr. Hida…" He broke off, struggling to get the words out. He somehow found the strength and eventually told them everything, trying to omit the horrible details but telling them enough that Takeru felt his stomach turn. 

"So that's it," Koushiro said. "I didn't know what to do, and that's why I came to you. There's nowhere else I could turn." 

"It's alright," Takeru said. "Obviously what we have to do now is tell the police. They can handle it." _There's no way that bastard will live to see the end of his sentence. He'll never touch her again._

"Yeah," Daisuke added. "Case closed, problem solved. What are we waiting for?" 

"It's not that simple. Mr. Hida is one of the most respected men in Odabia, and going to the police without any evidence wouldn't get him convicted," Koushiro said. "Besides, if we do that then Miyako will know that I told you." 

"Who cares what you promised?" Daisuke screamed. "We can't let him get away with that!" 

"You think that Miyako would want to take the stand against him?" Koushiro asked. "There's no way that she'll hold up in court." 

"Then we at least have to tell her parents!" Daisuke replied. 

"She doesn't want them to know." 

"Why not?" 

"She just doesn't," Koushiro replied. "She doesn't think they will believe her." 

"So what are you saying?" asked Takeru. "Iori and Mr. Hida are just going to get off free?" He was expecting Koushiro to have an answer as he always did, but his friend was silent. Takeru could tell that he was thinking, but he looked just as confused as either of them. _There has to be something we can do._

"That could have been any one of us." Daisuke said. 

"What are you talking about?" Koushiro asked, looking very confused. 

"Every time I've seen Mr. Hida he practically begs me to join kendo. He was all over me like Jun on your brother," Daisuke said to Takeru. "Or at least like she dreams of. Just ask Takeru." 

"He's come on to both of us before," Takeru told him. _I don't even want to know what he could have been thinking._

"Are you saying he's gay?" Koushiro exclaimed. "No offense." 

"All we know is that he's sick…and that he's probably done this before to who knows how many kids!" Takeru replied. 

"If we can't tell anyone then we'll just have to take matters into our own hands!" Daisuke declared. 

"Calm down Daisuke. I'm just as upset about this as you are, but we need to be rational. We can't just think about revenge," Koushiro reminded them. "I'm sure there are perfectly logical ways of resolving this." 

"Yeah, like taking care of it ourselves!" Daisuke replied. 

Takeru could tell that he wasn't kidding. "What?" 

"Think about it Takeru! You know what he deserves for this. What else could we possibly do?" 

"You think about it! How do you know you won't get caught?" Takeru pleaded. He knew that Daisuke was impossible to persuade, but he tried nevertheless. 

"I know when he's alone. He's in the dojo everyday, probably picking out his next victim from the children's class!" Daisuke said. He was hysterical now. 

"What are you going to do? You want to take on a nanadan-ranked kendo master? With what Daisuke? You wouldn't last a second!" Takeru reasoned with him. "Not to mention what would happen if you killed Iori. Our whole team would be thrown off balance. We're still the guardians of the digital world and if anything happens who knows if we'll be able to defend it?" He wasn't petitioning for Iori's life, but trying to keep things in perspective. 

"What are you talking about? We'll still have two ultimate-level Digimon and a champion to fight with," Daisuke reminded him.   
  
"So you think that the five of us can defend the digital world? We barely escaped with our lives when we were fighting Malomyotismon!" It took all of our Digimon times three to send him back to the digital world, and even that wasn't enough to defeat him. 

"But we're stronger now! There's nothing that the five of us can't handle if we stick together!" 

"Look, we can't just jump to conclusions and employ drastic measures until we understand the ramifications of our actions," Koushiro replied. "I want to kill the son of a bitch more than you do, but we need to think rationally." 

Taken aback by Koushiro's sudden outburst, Takeru was glad that he had someone else to set Daisuke straight. He didn't want his boyfriend ending up in prison the rest of his life, or worse. "Right…so what do we do?" 

"If we don't do anything else, we have to get that tape back," Koushiro said. "I don't want it falling into the wrong hands, and if worse comes to worse, we can show it to the police. That's all the evidence they would need to see to arrest Mr. Hida." 

"Great," Takeru replied. "So where are we going to find it, assuming that it still exists?" He didn't want to burst their bubble, but he thought the chances of them stumbling on to it were slim to none. Neither Daisuke nor Koushiro seemed to have any ideas either. _It could be stashed away just about anywhere. If it's in Mr. Hida's home, we'll never find it. Unless…_ "Wait, I think I know where it could be." 

"What? Where?" Koushiro asked. 

"Daisuke, do you remember the shelves in the back of Mr. Hida's office?" Takeru asked him. 

"Yeah," Daisuke replied. "They had tons of tapes on them. Videos of promotions, tournaments…" 

"Do you really think that's all that's there?" Takeru asked. 

"Well, yeah. Do you think that he would just leave it in his office?" 

"Do you have any better ideas?" Takeru asked. "I know it sounds far-fetched but we have to start somewhere." 

"Okay, so we'll just walk in and ask to browse his collection?" Daisuke sarcastically replied. 

"I don't know how we would get to it," Takeru said. "I'm just saying that I think that's where it is." Breaking in was out of the question. It was in a very highly populated area, and even if they weren't spotted, the alarm would certainly give away their presence. 

"Daisuke, how many tapes are we talking about?" Koushiro asked. 

"I don't know…like, a hundred maybe?" 

"I have an idea, but it we'll need someone else," he said. "Is there anyone else that we could trust?" 

"Are you kidding?" Daisuke said. Without a moment's hesitation he got up and went to the phone. It was only a few seconds after he dialed a number that his call was answered.. 

"Hello?" 

"Hey, this is Daisuke Motomiya. Is Ken home?"   


...end of chapter 9 


End file.
